Volunteer Centre Newsletter

Welcome to our Volunteer Centre newsletter.

We are grateful for the ongoing support of volunteers, constituting the backbone of our communities. Volunteering for all the fantastic organisations and community groups in the local areas.

To say thank you for all your hard work this year, we are planning some Christmas Get Together events between staff and volunteers at the Phillimore Community Centre in Radlett on the 6th of December, at Beaumont Day Centre in Cheshunt on the 7th of December, and at Trestle Arts Base in St Albans on the 8th of December. We will have more information soon, but we can't wait to see you all there!

We aim to support all volunteers in their activities. If you are looking for new volunteering opportunities, please look for new opportunities on our website here or get in touch by emailing volunteer@communities1st.org.uk.

We have split volunteering roles into the following sections: 

• Spotlight
• Short Term Roles and Micro Volunteering
• Longer Term Volunteering Roles 
• Trustee Roles 
• Driving Roles 

We have lots of training opportunities available here for anyone who would like to expand their skill set or try something new!

Shopping on a Budget helps you understand the benefit of shopping on a budget. It will look at current shopping habits and highlight areas where savings can be made. Register here

Juli Riley 

Head of Volunteer Centre and Skills  

Communities 1st  

Warm Spaces Volunteer                                             

Churches Together are looking for volunteers who can help with Warm Spaces in 6 venues across the Borough of Broxbourne. Warm Spaces are venues that people can come to which are free, warm, welcoming and safe. Hot drinks will be served, and for those venues which are open over lunchtime, soup and sandwiches will be offered. The role of the volunteers is to help to make the guests feel welcome and comfortable, and to help serving the drinks and refreshments.  

Apply here.

Befriending for Herts Vision Loss                                   Herts Vision Loss is a local charity providing a wide range of support and services to visually impaired people, their families and carers in Herts. There are over 26,000 visually impaired people in Hertfordshire, and in addition there are over 35,000 people with long term eye conditions that may result in them losing their sight further. Befrienders are needed to visit clients in the Bricket Wood area who have a visual impairment. These clients are isolated in their own homes and would like someone to chat, read or carry out small tasks with.

Apply here.

Citizens Advice are looking for a Research & Campaigns                                                            Volunteer to help to identify trends in problems experienced by their clients, raising social policy issues and championing changes for local and national issues. This might involve creating materials, such as newsletters, or presentations, or writing something for social media or newspaper, which could be used to explain the problems to others (such as local councilors, or members of the public). This role will also require the volunteer to update other volunteers about the common problems Citizens Advice clients are facing and how they can raise awareness and promote change.

Apply here.

Capital Appeal Chair for MIND in Mid Herts.           

Mind In Mid Herts are looking for an Executive that would like to support them in the role of Chair of their Appeals Board to lead further fundraising activity across the county. The Capital Appeal Chair will be the public face recognised as the senior leader driving the project forward. This position requires attending and chairing all committee meetings and acting as an advocate for our campaign within the community. The role involves providing a pipeline from your network of candidates for a 12-person capital appeal board with additional supporters as well as identifying prospects for donations and managing relationships.

Apply here.

Health Walk Leaders for Herts health walks             Would you like to walk within a friendly group, make friends and enjoy the health benefits walking has to offer whilst helping others to enjoy walking too? Volunteering is flexible and there is no expectation of time commitment.

Apply here.

Christmas Elf Volunteer for Rennie Grove                      Christmas is a busy time for Rennie Grove. The Retail and Trading team need a group of busy Christmas Elves to help their friendly team pack and dispatch items sold on ebay and other online platforms, and to keep stock moving out to their 25 shops.

Apply here.

Handy Person

Welwyn and Hatfield Voluntary Services are looking for a Handy Person to help one of their clients paint their flat. If you have painting and decorating skills and can lend some assistance, please email volunteer@communities1st.org.uk

Business Advisor

Young enterprises are looking for volunteer Business Advisors with Business skills and the ability to impart these skills and communicate well with teenagers.  Most teams have their ‘’Board Meeting’’ once a week either in school time or after (about an hour). Training is given and all Business Advisors to ensure they are aware of what is required. Apply here.

Community Library Volunteer for St Albans Library      Community Libraries are a partnership between Hertfordshire Libraries & Heritage Services and a local group of volunteers who run the library to the benefit of the rest of the community. They are looking for volunteers to help out at the London Colney Library who are looking for volunteers to help with the running of the library. There are different ways that volunteers can support the running of their local Community Library. Each community library is supported by colleagues from a nearby larger “buddy” library, as well as the Community Services team who will deliver your initial induction sessions.

Apply here.

Duty Officer for St Albans Good Neighbours Scheme. Do you like working with people, are you a good organiser, and do you have about a day a month you could give to help your neighbours who are in need? If so, would you consider joining their team of Duty Officers at St Albans Good Neighbours? 
 
What would you be doing?

• One day a month, arranged at your convenience, answer their phone lines. 
• Talk to their clients and arrange for their needs to be met by their volunteers. 
• Use their popular and user-friendly computer system to arrange and record things. 

Apply here.

 
Young Achievers Volunteer for DS Achieve                   DS Achieve is looking for volunteers to join their fantastic team to run their Youth Group. The Youth Group, for school-aged children with Down Syndrome, is part of DS Achieve's Young Achievers programme, which aims to help children with Down Syndrome to develop their social communication skills and grow their independence, while taking part in a variety of fun activities in a safe environment. The Youth Group takes place each week during term-time on a Saturday afternoon. Volunteers should have experience of working with children, be warm and friendly, be happy to get involved with the activities and to help encourage the children to join in.

Apply here.

Remote Family Support Volunteer for Family Lives   Family Lives operates a free confidential helpline for anyone experiencing difficulties in their family or relationship. Our volunteers take calls from parents and carers on a wide range of subjects. They are looking for volunteers who have experience of parenting or working with children and young people, are good listeners and are willing to learn.

Apply here.

Winter Bed Project Volunteer for Open Door                The Open Door night shelter, run by Hightown, on Bricket Road accommodates 12 people experiencing homelessness all year round, but over the bitter winter months extra bed spaces are needed to ensure no one has to sleep on the streets in St Albans. The Winter Beds Project works to prevent people dying on the streets when the temperatures plummet by providing them with self contained accommodation and access to support services that address their housing and support needs. They are looking for volunteers to help out with the project again this year. Volunteers support the project by welcoming guests in the evening, checking them out of cabins in the morning and helping to organise supplies and laundry. Guests take comfort in the support of their volunteers.

Apply here.

Volunteer Traffic Reporter for Mix 92.6                      Mix 92.6 is looking for traffic reporters. The role will be done from home. You'll need to be able to research what traffic and travel looks like in the local area and then quite quickly, summarise it, record a traffic bulletin and put it into our software. Sounds hard, but with training and some practice - it's easy to get the hang of it. They will train you, direct you to the relevant websites for research and then help you put it into a short bulletin. They need committed people to report on each day of the week for both our Breakfast & Drive show's - the key times that people are about to get in their car, or jump on a train, to go to work or do the school run and come home again. Really local, up to date traffic and travel news is important for the community.

To apply, please email volunteer@communities1st.org.uk

Community Connector for Communities 1st
We are looking for community connector to help us with our new our health matters project. The Our Health Matters project focuses on the Borehamwood areas of Cowley Hill and Brook meadow because research has shown us that communities in these areas are not well-supported by existing health services. They often experience health inequalities, especially with early cancer diagnosis, severe mental illness, chronic respiratory disease, and hypertension. We are hoping to recruit volunteer Community Connectors to be the ‘voice’ of these communities, engaging with local people to understand the barriers they face in accessing health services, obtaining the right standard of treatment, and receiving optimal outcomes.

To apply, please email volunteer@communities1st.org.uk

Community Champions for Communities 1st  
Communities 1st are looking for volunteers to become Community Champions in their local area. This will enable us to reach further into local communities and raise awareness of wider health information and signposting for services. What will I be doing? Engaging with people at the vaccination centres and pop-up vaccination centres and listening to any issues they may have with regards to health concerns and giving information on local services that may be able to help. No formal qualifications are needed for this role, we welcome volunteers from all backgrounds and abilities. Volunteers must be 16 or over to apply. 

To apply, please email volunteer@communities1st.org.uk

Hospital Ward Companion                              Communities 1st are looking for Hospital Ward Companions who will be able to commit to consistent regular availability. There will be daytime shifts Monday to Friday when the ward staff team are most active. Some out of hours evening and weekend shifts may be available when required. his role would not be well suited to ad-hoc availability but if a long-term commitment could be made this would be considered. Shifts will generally be approximately 3 hours long but there may occasionally be some variation. You will be asked to help with:

• Answering phones and taking message;
• Answering call bells and taking messages or reassuring patients that staff are coming;
• Talking to confused patients, they often need a little more time and attention so that they stay settled and less anxious;
• Help to dish out meals and drinks;
• Helping patients use i-Pads to video call their families;
• Restocking PPE and other supplies;
• Putting away stock;
• Working as part of the extended hospital team. Apply here

International NHS Buddy
NHS Trusts across Hertfordshire and West Essex are recruiting a number of NHS professionals internationally each month to fill staffing shortages. Communities' 1st is looking for volunteers that can provide wrap-around social support to these professionals. We are looking for volunteers who are sociable, outgoing and have a warm and welcome personality. If you enjoy meeting new people and exploring different places around Hertfordshire, have an open mind, are positive about diversity and are committed to building relationships with people from different backgrounds, this maybe something you will enjoy doing. The role will entail taking the nurses on a tour around the town/area, introducing places of interest, parks, gyms, bus stations, helping with shopping and familiarising with local customs etc. Apply here.

Meeting Speaker                                                      We're looking for speakers who have knowledge on Asthma, COPD, or diabetes to help out with peer-to-peer support groups of those three illnesses. The COPD are diabetes meetings are in Potters Bar and Bushey. The Asthma, COPD, and diabetes are hosted within St. Albans. These groups will happen twice a month. If you are interested, please get in touch and let us know.

Apply here.

Treasurer for St Albans Folk at the Festival
St Albans Folk at the Festival is a small organisation made up entirely of volunteers. It was set up to work with local folk music and dance groups to organise the annual St Albans Folk Festival. They are looking for a hands-on treasurer who enjoys folk music and dance and will join the organising group to take responsibility for their finances and prepare annual accounts. .

Apply here.

Treasurer with DS Achieve
DS Achieve is looking for a new volunteer Treasurer to join our existing Board of five Trustees. Our ideal new Treasurer will have a background in finance with a relevant accountancy qualification. We are a small local charity that prides ourselves on good governance and maintaining robust financial procedures and the Treasurer will take a lead on financial issues for the team. If you enjoy being part of a small, friendly team and want to volunteer some of your time and skills to a great charity this is the role for you.

Apply here.

Trustee with Citizens Advice East Herts
We are looking for three talented volunteer trustees who can give time and commitment to help us run our charity, help us develop our services and secure the vital resources we need to go forward. We are particularly looking for people who have fundraising, marketing or premises management expertise. Committed to working within the aims, principles and policies of Citizens Advice is essential. A willingness to think strategically but to have the time to offer operational support is also important.

Apply here

Volunteer Drivers for Minibuses or own vehicles
Drivers required to drive either their own cars or our MPV’s and Minibuses Volunteers are needed to help people in Borehamwood, Shenley and Potters Bar who are unable to use public transport, attend health appointments, and reduce social isolation. What are they looking for? Driving skills, clean license, roadworthy car, honest and reliable, good timekeeping.We’re always in need of people willing to help us deliver our transport service. Our new scheme supports the NHS locally to fulfil GP and vaccination appointments, as well as hospital visits. If you're willing to drive a larger vehicle, we also run a much-needed shopper bus service, other projects and trips. Expenses can be claimed at 45p/mile. Note, you may be required to travel further afield than your immediate local area. Apply here.

Van Driver/ Crew Member for Emmaus Hertfordshire
Emmaus Hertfordshire source furniture via house clearances and one-off item donations. Driving a van or being part of their van team, moving donations into our warehouse and then into their shops is an essential part of their operations. In their house clearance service, you would be involved in packing goods and loading them to and from the van. You could be involved in both van driving and house clearance packing or just one of these roles.

Apply here.

Volunteer Drivers for Hertsmere Mencap
Hertsmere Mencap support 250 children and adults with learning disabilities and their families and carers. They run a minibus service taking members to regular social clubs in Borehamwood, St Albans and Hatfield on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Friday evenings. You will only be expected to volunteer once every few weeks as part of a rota, an average of 3 hours per month. You will be assisting the driver collecting members, accompanying them to the local clubs, and helping with picking up from the club, taking them to their front door when necessary. Apply here.